Deadline Passes In GOP’s Election Subpoena

October 4, 2021 4:21 am

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The deadline is past for Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration to comply with a subpoena from a Republican-controlled state Senate committee pursuing what the GOP calls a “forensic investigation” of last year’s presidential election. The deadline was Friday, as courts sorted through three legal challenges. Wolf’s administration and Senate Republicans remained silent in the matter. The court was expected to set up an expedited briefing schedule. Republicans maintain they are attempting to find and fix problems in last year’s presidential election and this year’s primary election. Democrats accuse them of helping perpetuate baseless claims that former President Donald Trump was cheated out of victory.

Kodiak The Eagle Found Safe

October 4, 2021 4:16 am

PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)- Kodiak the Stellar’s Sea Eagle has been found and is back safe at the National Aviary on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Kodiak was spotted at a home in Pine Township on Sunday, according to Aviary officials. Using professional falconry techniques and equipment, a team was able to safely capture Kody and take him back to the facility. After examining him, veterinarians determined he was in “excellent health and body condition.” Officials said the bird is now resting comfortably in a behind-the-scenes area of the Aviary and is enjoying meals of fresh meat. Kodiak went missing on Saturday, Sept. 25 after officials said he flew through weakened chain netting around his habitat.

China Tightens Control On Internet Giants

October 3, 2021 8:08 am

BEIJING (AP) — The ruling Communist Party is tightening political control over China’s internet giants and tapping their wealth to pay for its ambitions to reduce reliance on U.S. and European technology. Anti-monopoly and data security crackdowns starting in late 2020 have shaken the industry, which flourished for two decades with little regulation. Investor jitters have knocked more than $1.3 trillion off the total market value of e-commerce platform Alibaba, games and social media operator Tencent and other tech giants. The party says anti-monopoly enforcement will be a priority through 2025. It says competition will help create jobs and raise living standards.

Powerball Jackpot Continues To Grow

October 3, 2021 8:05 am

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The biggest lottery prize in months grew larger after no ticket matched all five numbers and the Powerball drawn on Saturday night. The estimated jackpot for the next drawing on Monday is $670 million. Saturday night’s numbers were 28, 38, 42, 47 and 52. The Powerball was 1. The Powerball jackpot has slowly climbed thanks to 40 consecutive drawings without a grand prize winner, a record streak for the game dating back to June 5. There hasn’t been a bigger Powerball jackpot since a $731.1 million prize was won on Jan. 20. Saturday’s grand prize of $635 million would have been the 10th largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won. Since Aug. 23, Powerball drawings have been held three times a week to increase interest and grow prizes more quickly. Drawings are held each Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. EDT. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, are the long odds of winning the jackpot — one in 292.2 million.

North Korea Threatens UN After Meeting

October 3, 2021 8:03 am

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has warned the U.N. Security Council against criticizing the isolated country’s missile program, in a statement Sunday that included unspecified threats against the international body. During an emergency closed-door meeting of the top U.N. body Friday, France circulated a proposed statement that expresses concern over North Korea’s missile launches and calls on it to fully implement council resolutions that ban its ballistic missile firings. On Sunday, Jo Chol Su, a senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official, warned the U.N. council it “had better think what consequences it will bring in the future in case it tries to encroach upon the sovereignty” of North Korea. Jo also accused the U.N. body of a “double-dealing standard” because it doesn’t equally take issue with similar weapons tests by the United States and its allies, according to the statement circulated by state media.

Biden Frustrated With Stalls To Agenda

October 3, 2021 8:02 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Saturday acknowledged frustrations as Democrats strain to rescue a scaled-back version of his $3.5 trillion government-overhaul plan and salvage a related public works bill after frantic negotiations failed to produce a deal. “Everybody’s frustrated, it’s part of being in government, being frustrated,” Biden told reporters before leaving the White House for a weekend stay at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. He pledged to ”work like hell” to get the two pillars of his domestic agenda passed into law, but refrained from laying out a new deadline. The president had gone to Capitol Hill on Friday for a private meeting with House Democrats that was partly a morale booster for the disjointed caucus of lawmakers. According to lawmakers in the room, he discussed a $1.9 trillion to $2 trillion-plus price tag for the larger package that would expand the country’s social safety net. The White House and its allies in Congress are prepared for protracted negotiations. Biden said he would soon travel around the country to promote the legislation and he acknowledged concerns that the talk in Washington had become too focused on the trillions in new spending and taxes in the bill.

Crews Extricate Crash Victims

October 3, 2021 7:58 am

NORTH STRABANE, Pa. — Emergency crews were sent to save multiple people from a rollover crash Saturday night in North Strabane. Responders got the call around 10:30 p.m. on the 400 block of Johnson Road for multiple victims entrapped in a car following the crash. North Strabane Police and Fire, along with Peters Township Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene. Once the patients were extricated, they were taken by Canonsburg EMS and Ambulance and Chair for treatment. There is no word on what caused the accident.

South Fayette Officials Oppose I-79 Toll Bridge

October 3, 2021 4:17 am

SOUTH FAYETTE, Pa. (WPXI) — A proposed toll on the Interstate 79 bridge in South Fayette Township is one that many there feel would be reckless and detrimental to their community. “There’s no doubt motorists will seek to avoid the toll so they will travel through local communities in South Fayette,” said John Barrett, South Fayette Township Manager. Barrett testified in front of the House Transportation Committee in Harrisburg Thursday regarding the P3 project, PennDOT’s plan to toll nine bridges — including the Interstate 79 bridge in the South Fayette and Bridgeville area. Yet Barrett is opposed, saying that this may cause congestion because drivers trying to get around the toll will clog up neighborhood streets, especially during busy commutes. He also said the plans to install the toll could be as early as 2023 before other roads need to be fixed that drivers would use to avoid the toll. PennDOT has said the suggested tolls will help with transportation funding in the state, the bridges being considered are fairly large and were chosen based o the ability to make repairs within two to four years. Barrett is worried about the impact to the economics of his community. The bridge projects and associated tolling will be looked at over the next year before any final decisions are made.

Suspect Dead After 5-Hour SWAT Standoff

October 3, 2021 4:13 am

PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — A homicide suspect who was barricaded inside a Pittsburgh home Friday afternoon and was firing a gun at SWAT personnel and officers outside is dead. The suspect was identified as Khalil Singletary, 25, who was wanted for a deadly shooting in Beltzhoover on Sept. 22. According to police, U.S. Marshals received information that Singletary was inside a home in the area of Bedford Avenue and Manilla Street in the Hill District. After officers sent tear gas into the home, police said Singletary fired shots. Five officers returned fire and Singletary was later found dead inside the house. The goal was to bring him out alive, Director of the Department of Public Safety Wendell Hissrich had said. In 2015, Singletary was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm and drug charges. The situation started in the Hill District section of the city around 12:30 p.m. at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Manilla Street. Bedford Avenue was closed to traffic and people were asked to avoid the area.

No Injuries After Area House Fire

October 3, 2021 1:39 am

COKEBURG, Pa. — A family escaped a house fire near Cokeburg early Saturday morning. According to reports, no one was injured when a fire broke out on 23 Maple Street in North Bethlehem Township around 2:00 a.m. The Cokeburg Fire Department was joined by Bentleyville, Marianna, Lone Pine and Richeyville Fire Departments on scene. It took crews nearly four hours to put out the fire. Officials say there is no word on what caused the blaze.